Portland Police Chief Michael Sauschuck: "I think this law was misguided. We continue to go the wrong way on gun legislation." Whitney Hayward/Staff Photographer

Maine’s new concealed-carry law for firearms, a major victory for conservatives this past legislative session, goes into effect Thursday and some public safety officials already are urging caution.

Portland Police Chief Michael Sauschuck said Wednesday that he’s very concerned about the new law and thinks it will put his officers, and the public, at risk.

Sauschuck said officers responded just this week to reports of a man threatening others with a gun in the parking lot at the Northgate shopping plaza.

By the time police arrived, the people who were allegedly threatened had left, but the man with the gun, 58-year-old Peter Shepard of Portland, was still there and still holding a loaded .45-caliber handgun. Because Shepard did not have a permit, he was arrested and charged but Sauschuck said that, as of Thursday, having no permit will no longer be against the law.

“This will make our jobs more difficult,” the chief said. “I think this law was misguided. We continue to go the wrong way on gun legislation.”

The new law, passed in June after significant debate in both the House and Senate, makes Maine just the sixth state in the country to allow gun owners over the age of 21 to carry a concealed weapon without a permit. Alaska, Arizona, Kansas, Vermont and Wyoming are the others. The remaining 44 states all require permits to carry concealed weapons. New Hampshire lawmakers tried to pass a bill similar to Maine’s this year but Gov. Maggie Hassan vetoed it.

During the public hearing on the Maine bill, law enforcement officials were divided. The Maine Chiefs of Police Association and the Maine Sheriffs Association were opposed, but Maine State Police supported the measure, as did Gov. Paul LePage.

Sen. Eric Brakey, R-Auburn, the bill’s sponsor, said he’s proud of the new law and dismissed criticism.

“I’ve heard from people who love it and people who have concerns,” he said. “No one (legislative) district is made up of a monolithic block of people. But even those with concerns I’ve been able to talk to and explain what this does.”

Before the new law, Mainers needed permits to carry concealed weapons. No permit was needed to openly carry a firearm in public, although that occurred rarely.

Sauschuck said he’s worried that the new law will encourage people to carry concealed weapons who wouldn’t have otherwise.

Maine State Police said in April that 36,000 concealed handgun permits, including 12,000 for non-residents, had been issued by the state. The total number is likely much higher because permits are also issued by local police and there is no centralized registry.

Brakey, though, said concealed weapons permits created a false sense of security and were unnecessary.

“A criminal is not going to get a permit. He’s going to break the law,” Brakey said. “The same goes for gun-free zones. Criminals are not going to obey these zones.”

Dropping the permit requirement, Brakey said, simply removes the barrier for law-abiding people to carry firearms for self-defense. He said it’s important to note that people who are prohibited from possessing weapons are still prohibited and locations where no guns are allowed, such as public schools or federal buildings, will still be off-limits.

Adam Foster, a shooting instructor at Weaponcraft in Saco, said he lived in Alaska for many years, another state that allows concealed-carry without a permit.

“The world continued to turn round and round. Nothing changed, really,” he said. “There were no wild, crazy gunfights in the street.”

Maine’s crime rate, according to 2013 FBI statistics, was the second-lowest in the nation, behind only Vermont, which has allowed residents to concealed-carry for two centuries.

Under the Maine law, a concealed carry permit will now be optional, but Uel Gardner, one of the owners of Weaponcraft, said he knows many people who will continue getting a permit so that it will be easier for them to carry in other states that require them. Gardner said he supports Maine’s new law but understands the concerns, too. He believes everyone who carries a firearm should be well-trained.

“There are going to be a lot more uneducated and untrained people carrying firearms,” he said.

Even people who get concealed permits don’t always act appropriately.

Last week in Michigan, a woman fired several rounds from her 9-millimeter handgun at a vehicle driven by a man suspected of stealing merchandise from a home goods store. The woman was charged with reckless use of a firearm, a misdemeanor. Although the woman had a concealed-carry permit, the story generated discussion about whether more people might respond similarly if it is easier to carry a weapon. The general threshold for police officers and concealed weapons holders is that deadly force is allowed only if there is the imminent danger of death or harm to themselves or others.

Sauschuck said he’s worried about such cases, and about people exercising good judgment. He said he believes having more guns is not the answer. He also pointed out that the man who was arrested this week had altered his handgun using pink paint, ostensibly to make it look like a toy.

The longstanding debate over guns and access tends to reignite each time there is a tragedy involving a firearm.

A mass shooting at a community college in Oregon this month in which 10 people died, including the gunman, led to renewed calls for stricter gun control from some advocates, including President Obama, but also hardened the opinions of 2nd Amendment backers who believe more gun regulations are not the answer.

Gun rights supporters have often urged policymakers to focus on mental illness and better treatment as an antidote to gun violence.

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Eric Russell… come on man! Think this through. Man with gun is threatening the public. (Think criminal threatening with a deadly weapon) and he’s arrested because he does not have a conceal carry permit? You do know the previous law was anyone (who is allowed by law) can carry a firearm correct? Open Carry. The Chef tells us that today hes going to let the guy walk if he’s threatening the public with a firearm. Eric, can someone at PPH maybe hit him up for a followup question? You do know over 50,000 Mainers have conceal carry permits correct? Are we having shootouts now? You see anyone now who decides to put a gun in the car still has to be legal to do it. The only difference is they did not pay the $35 bucks and sit in a 5 hour class on what end goes BANG. Law abiding people legally allowed to poses firearms should not worry the Chef. The Chef also knows that Vermont has had no permit for 200 years. Maybe he should check with the fine law enforcement of Vermont and find out how they can keep the officers safe.

john

Wanting to impose your value judgments on everyone else smacks of intellectual tyranny. You distort things to support your argument. That is intellectually dishonest. Stop standing by the Constitution? This is me, laughing at you. Come up with something better, and maybe we can talk. Until then, you are skirting being traitorous.

PeterR

Strange reading, even from Old Europe

This Chief was on the streets last..? Just wonder, because even in Germany State Police and Federales take the armed counterpart for granted, just to stay safe.
And following proper procedures to ensure otherwise.

Should be the same procedure worldwide, for pros of course!

MysteryMan

Finally!

BimQueenU

There should be permit checks for everyone. Brakey does not know what he is doing. He has no experience and in my opinion should not be a senator. He sounds and acted childish. The problem is …he is only one vote. The copycats went along with him. I have no intentions of visiting Maine until the law is repealed. In this capitalist country of ours, the economic impact can usual force a hand. In time, Maine’s hand will be force since it is a state that struggles financially and economically. I don’t see big companies rushing in. I think when Maine continues to feel this impact, it will adjust itself accordingly. As expensive as New York, DC and Massachusetts are, companies are rushing in. I wonder why. After all, I think Maine wants to enjoy the American Dream and from where I stand, I do not currently see that in the state of Maine. Brakey has nothing to lose. He is probably from old spoiled money and thinks this is a game. Maine residents will have to weigh if they will lose or gain from this law. Laws are meant to be amended. So for the people against the new law, don’t despair because this law can be amended and changed as well. Only a few people voted for this law and signed it. Maine has more people in its population that can come together and change the law if they want to. Keep hope alive.

Barack’sGotYourBack

I have one question for Portland Police Chief Michael Sauschuck:

Police Chief, why is it that you feel that your own citizens are inferior to the citizens of Vermont?

Or, if I should rephrase that because you do not feel like it is a question of inferiority, then pray tell why it is that Vermonters are doing just fine with pure 2nd amendment exercise of Constitutionally guaranteed rights, yet in contrast to that you feel that your own citizens should have their Constitutionally guaranteed right be infringed upon through licensure.

Lee Weaver

what this guy did would still be against the law you can’t threaten people with your gun. weather it’s legal to carry it or not. We already have the gun laws necessary to cover this type of thing we don’t need any more.